Goucher College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Spanish & French double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Female

Summary

I volunteer tutor with the Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP).

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Frederick, MD with a graduating class of about 300 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Spanish & French double major
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I volunteer tutor with the Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP).
What impact has GPEP had on your experience?
I’ve been doing it since freshman year and I love it. We had to read a book called Just Mercy, which is now a movie. It really opened my eyes to systemic racism and how incarceration is such a huge problem. Being able to be part of the change for that and improve that system is amazing.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Because I have language majors, it’s a lot of reading. I basically read, go to class, and discuss them. There will be presentations pretty often. Readings, a midterm, and the final make up the bulk of the final grade.
Is there anything you feel either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
I don’t have any complaints, and I love both programs. A minor thing is the French program is really rigorous. I had a 300-level class last semester and we had multiple essays throughout the semester. I had a 400-level Spanish class and we had maybe one essay, and the class discussions weren’t as rich as they could be.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d definitely say it’s collaborative, especially because the class sizes are pretty small so it’s very discussion-based. There’s a lot of participation and you get to know your teachers. They care for you, so it’s cool being in a class where everyone knows each other and you’re getting a lot out of each class. [The average class size is 16.]
What has been your favorite part of Goucher academically?
All the classes I have are somehow related to social justice. Even in my science course for the general requirements, it tied it in. I took Disease and Discrimination, so we learned about disease terminology, but we also touched on social justice. You learn so much and it applies in everyday life.
How accessible are your professors?
All the professors I’ve had in the three years have been extremely accessible. They are always talking about their office hours and are willing to talk to students before and after class. I haven’t had any problems contacting professors.
Why did you pick your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
In high school, I took all the Spanish classes, so I knew I wanted to study Spanish. I finished the Spanish classes so I decided to take a French class just because, and Goucher has a mandatory study abroad so I studied in Spain last spring. I wanted to study French as a minor, but I looked into it and if I added it as a major, I’d be able to go abroad for two separate semesters. I’m extremely happy and wouldn’t change anything. [Goucher has a 100% study abroad policy.]

Reasons to Attend

1) If you want to be actively involved in social justice issues and have a feeling of world change. Overall, I feel like Goucher’s academics tie back to social justice.
2) Having a relationship with your professors and having small class sizes. [The average class size is 17 students.]

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you want a big school with Greek life, you’re not going to get that at Goucher. [There are about 1,480 undergraduates.]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Gallagher House with one roommate
Sophomore: Language Special Interest House in the Welsh Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
Junior: Welsh Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
How do you like going to school so close to your hometown?
I don’t go home that often, but I like being close. It makes moving in and out really easy.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never had a personal experience where I’ve felt unsafe, on or off-campus. They have the blue light system on campus for emergencies, and they’re good at briefing all the freshmen on security. There’s even an app you can use to increase your access to emergency help.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
During the semester I’m usually pretty focused on schoolwork and don’t do much during the week except hang out with my roommates. On the weekends, since my roommates are on a [sports team], we’ll go off-campus house parties with other sports teams. They are lowkey social settings. There is no Greek life, and because Goucher is a very campus-based school, it’s difficult to apply to live off-campus.
What is the impact of sports teams on the nightlife?
I don’t go to a ton of sporting events. Sports don’t have a huge presence at Goucher unless you’re an athlete and that’s what you’re focused on. People who aren’t athletes don’t pay attention to the sporting events unless they’re friends with athletes. Goucher is small so you see the same people every weekend so it can feel repetitive and boring.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
You can gather in the common room, or there are on-campus apartments that have gatherings. People just get together with their friends and it’s not too wild. People will be in bands and have small concerts in their dorms.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Goucher? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m not bothered by anything and I wouldn’t complain. I feel like people could get bored because the campus is so small and there’s not a ton to do. It just depends on what you’re involved in. There are so many things to get involved in on campus, and since I’m not involved in a lot of clubs that could be why.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
The closest friends I have right now I met through my major and also because they’re on the [the sports team] I used to be on. I studied abroad with someone and we became really close too.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Goucher?
It’s just casual and you get to know everyone, or you at least know their face. It’s nice but definitely small.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Goucher is very progressive and they have a lot of workshops and spaces for people of color and in the LGBTQ community. There are separate spaces, but Goucher is very open and people mix together well. It’s not the most diverse campus, but there are lots of people with different backgrounds that mix well. It’s common to see diverse groups of friends. [The undergraduate population is about 56% White, 16% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 4% Asian.]
How would you describe the student body?
Whenever I think of Goucher, I think of hipster. Some people walk around barefoot on campus, and some people look like they came straight out of an ‘80 movie. It’s a very close-knit community and people really care about what happens with the school. Especially now with our president having just changed, there’s lots of activism and people are involved in the future of the school.
To what extent do athletes and non-athletes mix socially?
I think there is a little bit of a divide. I’m not saying an athlete can’t be hipster, but there isn’t a social division where athletes won’t mix with other people.
How do you like the size of Goucher in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 1,400 undergraduates.]
I didn’t know what I wanted to do for college, but I visited a huge school and automatically knew I couldn’t go to a huge school. Goucher is the exact opposite, it’s super small. Honestly, it’s so nice because the classes are so small and you get to know your professors super well. You can talk to them on a first-name basis, and it feels like you’re in a little family.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I haven’t personally used it, but they provide a ton of resources. They’ll have nights where they go over resumes and career plans. They also have a closet, so you can borrow or take clothes to go to interviews. They’re very active in helping students with that.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
Data Analytics is a general requirement, and in that class, you do a ton of Excel and JMP. You do a big project with an organization in Baltimore throughout the semester. You use raw data from the organization to compile a data report.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
One of the main reasons I went to Goucher was for the amount of financial aid I could get.